You are using our products - tips on great presentation
When a restaurant chooses to use prepared foods and ready meals for their menu, they've taken care of an important sales aspect, quality assured taste. However, taste is not the only thing that can attract or repel customers, appearance plays an important part too.
PRESENTATION
Presentation can be everything, especially when it comes to catering food. Even wholesome, delicious meals can be a turn off if they appear unattractive. Slapping pasta onto a plate or slopping soup into a bowl just isn't enough.
If a frozen meal has cooked to hold the container shape, always remember to break it up into a more natural form. Let noodles and rice lay loose on the plate. Allow vegetables to scatter around and sauces to slide down the food.
Wipe any extra sauce or food from the edge of dishes. A meal served on a sloppy dish appears unprofessional and uncaring. It also makes the meal look like food they could have made at home, something no customer wants to think about when paying money at a restaurant.
GARNISH
Garnishing meals is always important. Garnish not only helps give a classier feel, it's a personal touch that makes customers feel appreciated. A little lemon slice goes a long way to personalize meals and develop a friendlier atmosphere. People have a hard time believing meals could be "just" from a foodservice company when a fresh garnish is included.
Make garnish appear custom to each plate without spending a fortune by using different combinations of three or four garnishes. The exact garnish depends on the type of food being served, but two well-known standbys are parsley and lemon. Always keep plenty of these stored up if possible.
Alternate garnish choices include lime, cilantro, cinnamon, grated cheese, ground pepper, and sour cream. Try to use garnishes that are healthy and additive-free, that way you please most lifestyle groups.
Remember that garnish doesn't always have to be located on the top of food. Garnishes can be placed at the side, like a parsley sprig. Items like fresh kale, spinach, and lettuce can be place under the food, with their attractive leaves sticking out.
For a high class feel, try fancy garnish styles. Citrus peels can be tied into knots or cut with a spiral. Leafy herbs can be placed in a circle like a flower. Multiple garnishes can be used together to create a colorful centerpiece on the meal.
CONTAINER
Another aspect of presentation is the dish the meal is served in. Dish size should be slightly larger than the portion to be served. This keeps the food from spilling without making the meal look too small.
Dishes should be attractive and in good shape. Customers will feel let down if they finish a yummy meal to find a scratched and stained plate underneath. Unless you're a top gourmet restaurant, bone china dishes aren't needed, just clean and attractive ones.
Try to make the dish match the style of food served. If you're selling Italian, look for some affordable Tuscan style dishes. If you have a variety of styles, use a single, bold color to match the decor, or simply stick to white.